Laurie's Nightmares
by kevin the bird
Summary: He still had shaving cream on half of his face, but he was worried about Laurie. So he rushed into her room. "Daddy," she said, tears still streaming down her face. He rushed to her side and sat down, pulling her into a hug immediately. "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here," Red said as she nuzzled his chest.


Nightmares where a normal thing for Laurie, but they hadn't gotten any easier on her. She would wake up, screaming with both parents trying to wake her up. Often she wouldn't remember what the dream was about, but it still scared her beyond belief.

That night, she had managed to get through the entire night without a nightmare until that morning. She started yelping in her sleep and then woke up, tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't know what time it was, but she figured it was early because she heard Red run into her room. He had been shaving his face when he heard his daughter yelp, no doubt from another nightmare. He still had shaving cream on half of his face, but he was worried about Laurie. So he rushed into her room.

"Daddy," she said, tears still streaming down her face. He rushed to her side and sat down, pulling her into a hug immediately.

"It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here," Red said as she nuzzled his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gripped his shirt tightly. He softly rocked her back and fourth. "Was it another nightmare?" he asked in a soft and soothing voice. Laurie nodded her head against his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. "You're okay now. It's over," he added after her nod. He then rearranged himself so he was sitting against the headboard of Laurie's queen sized bed. Laurie immediately pulled her legs close to her body so she was sitting in a fetal position against her father's body. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively as she rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. Laurie smelled the familiar smell of Red's shaving cream, a sense of familiarity washing over her. She looked up at her father's face and noticed the shaving cream still on his face. She laughed and ran a finger through the remaining shaving cream. Red laughed as well and did the same thing before placing the shaving cream on Laurie's nose. She laughed again and cuddled closer into Red's body, the heat radiating from him pulling her close to sleep again. He looked down at his half asleep daughter and kissed the top of her head, lulling her closer to sleep. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep, Red's arm still protectively wrapped around her shoulders. He lost track of how long he sat there when Kitty came home and walked up the stairs. When she went past Laurie's room to get to the master bedroom, she noticed Red cradling the sleeping Laurie next to him. She stopped and just watched as he looked at his sleeping daughter cuddled in his body. She smiled at the picture in front of her. Red then heard a floorboard creak when she leaned up against the doorframe and his head immediately flew up to see his wife looking at him lovingly.

"Hey," he said softly and smiled at his wife, who had just gotten home from an overnight shift at the hospital.

"Hey," Kitty replied as she walked over to the bed Laurie and Red where lying in. When she got a closer look at the shaving cream on his face, she started to laugh. "Is that shaving cream on your face?" she asked. Red also laughed.

"Yeah, she got a nightmare when I was shaving," he said. Kitty sat on the edge of the bed and she softly moved a strand of hair out of Laurie's face.

"Poor girl," she said. She then leaned over her husband's body and planted a kiss on her baby girl's head.

"How was work?" Red asked as he rested a hand on her back and softly rubbed it.

"Good morning to you too," Kitty said as she laughed and planted a loving kiss on Red's lips. "It was fine," she added.

"You look tired, sweetheart," Red noted after he kissed her back lovingly.

"Yeah, it was a long shift," Kitty replied as she rested her face in her hands, Red still softly rubbing her back. He then scooted over a little to let his wife properly sit on the bed.

"Get in," he said softly as he wrapped an arm around Kitty's waist and pulled her in close to him. She crawled into bed and mirrored her daughter's position, pulling her legs into a fetal position and leaning up against Red's body. He kept his hand on Kitty's back and continued to rub it soothingly.

"Don't you have to go into work?" Kitty asked softly, a hint of tiredness in her voice.

"I don't have to be in for a few more hours," Red replied. "We can stay here for a little bit while you catch up on your sleep." Kitty smiled at the idea of being able to sleep next to her husband. She had been pulling weird shifts at the hospital, which meant she hadn't been sleeping next to her husband as much as she would have liked.

"I'd like that," Kitty said as she smiled, her eyes drooping with sleep.

"So would I," Red replied as he smiled as well. He kissed her head, which was placed higher up on his shoulder than Laurie's was. "I have both my girls, how can I not?" he added. Kitty just laughed, the feel of her husband's calloused hand rubbing her back pulling her closer to sleep. Within seconds, she was sound asleep like her daughter. Red just looked down at both of them and stayed there until he had to go to work, happy to have the two most important women next to him.


End file.
